I Dig Sports
CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs acquired Drew Pomeranz from the Seattle Mariners on Monday, putting another relief option in their minor league system.
Chicago traded cash to Seattle for the 36-year-old Pomeranz, who hasn't appeared in a big league game since 2021. The team said the veteran left-hander would report to Triple-A Iowa.
The Cubs are on top of the NL Central with a 14-10 record, but their bullpen is off to a shaky start. They have a 5.19 bullpen ERA going into Tuesday night's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Pomeranz signed a minor league contract with Seattle on March 27. He went 0-1 with a 4.66 ERA and two saves in nine appearances with Triple-A Tacoma.
Pomeranz has a connection to Cubs manager Craig Counsell. He had a 2.39 ERA in 25 appearances with Milwaukee in 2019 while Counsell was in the dugout with the Brewers.
Pomeranz was drafted by Cleveland with the No. 5 pick in the 2010 amateur draft out of the University of Mississippi. He broke into the majors with Colorado in 2011.
He is 48-58 with a 3.91 ERA in 289 games (140 starts) over 11 years in the majors, also playing for the Athletics, San Diego, Boston and San Francisco.
CLEVELAND -- Guardians pitcher Triston McKenzie, who has been plagued by arm injuries since making 30 starts in his breakout 2022 season, was designated for assignment Monday.
McKenzie was moved to the bullpen in spring training, but he posted an 11.12 ERA over his first four appearances this year. The right-hander hasn't appeared in a game since he allowed four runs in one inning on April 16 at Baltimore.
A first-round pick by Cleveland in 2015, McKenzie went 3-8 with a 5.11 ERA over the past two seasons. He spent three months on the injured list in 2023 with a right shoulder strain, then missed three months last year with a right elbow sprain.
"It was really difficult to find innings for Triston, and that's what led to the decision," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. "It was tough because of his history here."
McKenzie, 27, was long viewed as a potential ace by the Guardians. He went 11-11 with a 2.96 ERA and 190 strikeouts in 2022, making two starts in the postseason while becoming a fan favorite.
Cleveland has seven days to either trade or place the 6-foot-5, 185-pounder on waivers. Right-hander Zak Kent was brought up from Triple-A Columbus to fill McKenzie's roster spot before the team opened a three-game series against the New York Yankees.
"We wish Triston well, regardless of if he gets claimed or stays with us," Vogt said.
Vogt also reaffirmed his support for three-time All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase on Monday, saying, "I haven't even had the thought" of replacing him. The right-hander has allowed nine runs and 20 hits in 10 innings for a 7.84 ERA, including three in one inning Sunday in Pittsburgh when he blew his second save in six chances.
Clase, 27, won the Mariano Rivera AL Reliever of the Year Award as baseball's best reliever in 2022 and 2024, leading the league in saves in each of the last three years. He went 4-2 with 47 saves and a 0.61 ERA last season.
"He's getting hit, he's leaving the ball down the middle, and there are things he needs to work on," Vogt said. "But Emmanuel Clase is going to get the ball in the ninth inning when he's available."
ATLANTA -- Atlanta Braves ace Spencer Strider strained his right hamstring Monday while playing catch and was put on the 15-day injured list.
Atlanta made the move retroactive to Friday, two days after Strider returned from elbow surgery and made his first big league appearance since April 5, 2024. Strider gave up two runs over five innings in a 3-1 loss at Toronto, and the 26-year-old right-hander was slated to make his home season debut Tuesday against St. Louis.
With Strider sidelined, the Braves will go with a bullpen game against the Cardinals. Manager Brian Snitker said they would decide on an opener on the day of the game.
Braves third baseman Austin Riley said he was hoping Strider's injury was a minor one.
"I hate it for the guy with everything that he's been through," Riley said after Monday night's 7-6 victory over St. Louis. "[With] everything that he's been through, an arm injury and being out that long, that's hard on the mental side of it, just grinding that long and finally getting back. I thought his start the other day was really good."
Strider made only two starts in 2024 before UCL internal brace surgery on April 12. Strider finished fourth in 2023 NL Cy Young Award voting and was an All-Star, going 20-5 with a 3.86 ERA and a league-best 281 strikeouts.
Atlanta recalled right-hander Michael Petersen from Triple-A Gwinnett. Petersen pitched two scoreless innings against Tampa Bay on April 13.
The Braves' rotation also is without right-hander Reynaldo Lopez, who underwent arthroscopic surgery April 8 after one start. He will be out at least three months.
DETROIT -- Luis Arraez was placed on the seven-day concussion injured list by the San Diego Padres on Monday.
The three-time batting champion got hurt Sunday night in Houston when he collided with Astros second baseman Mauricio Dubon on a frightening play at first base.
Arraez was put on a backboard and carted out of the stadium. He was taken to a hospital but returned to the ballpark following San Diego's 3-2 victory.
Padres manager Mike Shildt said that Arraez was sore Monday, as expected, but that tests showed no structural damage.
"It's overall very favorable relative to how scary that looked," Shildt said. "Was able to celebrate at the very end, came in afterward with his teammates. Alert, so that was good for everybody's spirits -- mostly Luis' of course.
"Woke up, slept well. As you would expect had some stiffness in his neck, but nothing cognitively is anything that we're overly concerned about. He is going to go, rightfully so, in concussion protocol. More testing will be done. Hopefully it's more out of caution than necessity."
Arraez was headed back to San Diego on Monday. To replace him on the active roster, the Padres recalled infielder Mason McCoy from Triple-A El Paso before their series opener against the Detroit Tigers.
Shildt said Arraez did have a small cut on his jaw. He will undergo more testing, and it's too soon to tell when he will be able to resume baseball activities.
"But at the moment, it's kind of the best-case scenario for Luis," Shildt said. "We'll get through the testing, make sure cognitively he's OK still, has range of motion, and then we'll go from there. ... It's as good as we could possibly expect."
Arraez dragged a bunt in the first inning toward first baseman Christian Walker, who flipped the ball to Dubon covering the bag. That's where he collided with Arraez, who appeared to hit Dubon's arm or elbow with his face.
Both players fell to the ground, but Arraez took the worst of it, laying motionless in foul territory next to first base as athletic trainers and coaches from both teams came out to tend to him.
"It was scary," Dubon said. "I mean, just watching him not move. It was scary. Especially people know the type of player I am. I'm not a dirty player or anything. So it sucks. Worst part about it is you get death threats from stuff like this and everything. So it's going to be a fun ride home."
Dubon and Walker as well as Padres stars Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado stood and watched as Arraez was placed on the backboard and carted out. As he was being placed on the cart, Arraez put an arm around Shildt.
"It was a sad moment, especially getting close to him and seeing him on the ground like that, you definitely get scared," Tatis said Sunday night. "You almost go into tears, but holding up. You sit down right next to him and start praying for him right away. Happy he is back with us already. Just happy he's standing up. It's a sad part of the game, but stuff happens sometimes. Just happy he's all right."
Play resumed after a 10-minute delay.
Arraez is hitting .287 with 3 home runs, 7 RBIs and a .755 OPS. The three-time All-Star infielder has won three consecutive batting titles, one in the American League and two in the National League.
He had 203 hits in 2023 with Miami and led the NL with 200 for the Marlins and Padres combined last season.
"Guy's got the heart of a champion," Shildt said.
Emma Raducanu has paused the search for a new full-time coach, saying she is happy to "keep things informal" as her part-time partnership with Mark Petchey continues.
Raducanu brought Petchey - a well-known figure in British tennis circles and a former coach of Andy Murray - into her coaching team on a casual basis at last month's Miami Open.
Petchey was in the coaching box as the 22-year-old Briton reached the quarter-finals and produced her best tennis of the season.
After Miami, Raducanu wanted Petchey to lead the team on a more regular basis, but committing time around his television broadcasting work has been a stumbling block.
Raducanu, who is returning to competitive action this week at the Madrid Open after a month off, said Petchey will be "fitting" her around his other commitments at the WTA 1000 clay-court event.
"I'm happy with the set-up going forward right now - it's been working well," said the world number 49.
"I like him a lot and I've known him since before the US Open [victory in 2021] and it's nice to have familiar faces around."
Bristol Bears: Lane; Bailey, Ravouvou, Janse van Rensburg, Ibitoye; MacGinty, Randall; Genge, Oghre, Kloska; Dun, Caulfield, Luatua, Harding (c), Mata.
Replacements: Thacker, Thomas, Lahiff, Grondona, Heenan, Marmion, Elizalde, Jenkins.
Leicester Tigers: Steward; Radwan, Kata, Woodward, Hassell-Collins; Pollard, Van Poortvliet; Smith, Montoya (c), Heyes; Henderson, Chessum, Liebenberg, Reffell, Cracknell.
Replacements: Clare, Whitcombe, Hurd, Rogerson, Ilione, Youngs, Shillcock, Kelly.
Yellow cards: Heyes (38), Kata (69).
Referee: Karl Dickson.
Anthony Macri won three 410 winged sprint car features in two days, but still trails Brock Zearfoss atop the Eastern region of the National Sprint Car Rankings.
Macri has made 19 starts this season and is one shy of the 20 starts required to open the national rankings.
Thirty-one drivers have reached double digits in starts, while 260 drivers have run at least one of the 48 winged sprint car races run this season.
Unofficially, David Gravel boasts the best average finish of those drivers with a 2.813 average finish.
While Zearfoss leads the Eastern region, Sam Hafertepe Jr. tops the Western region. Carson Macedo leads the Mid-America stanza.
The Great Plains region has opened for competition and Rico Abreu, who won Saturdays World of Outlaws feature at Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway, stands on top.
Cap Henry continues to lead the Great Lakes region and Jason Begenwald paces the OH-PA region.
Thirty drivers have won features with Macri and Gravel leading the way with five wins each.
Eastern Region
- Brock Zearfoss 643
- Anthony Macri 614
- Danny Dietrich 566
- Chase Dietz 474
- Freddie Rahmer 474
Chris & Brian Faria Memorial Is Next For NARC Sprints
TULARE, Calif. A Thunderbowl Raceway cornerstone event is next on tap for the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series, which will race in the Chris & Brian Faria Memorial this Saturday, April 26.
Saturdays event is the first of two visits that NARC will make to the third-mile, high-banked clay oval located at the Tulare County Fairgrounds this season. This marks the third stop on the 27-event NARC campaign.
First contested in 2002, the event honors a pair of brothers from the Faria family, longtime participants in California racing. Chris Faria, who was an up-and-coming racer, passed away after a farming accident in 1993. His older brother Brian, who was active behind the scenes at Thunderbowl Raceway, tragically passed away in early 2006 in a traffic accident, and Brians name was soon put alongside his brothers name for this race.
The event, held at one of Californias most challenging dirt tracks, has long been looked forward to by NARC competitors and fans, and the list of past winners of the race reads like a whos who of west coast sprint car racing.
Jason Meyers, a future two-time World of Outlaws champion, won the inaugural event in 2002. National Sprint Car Hall of Famer Brent Kaeding won it twice in the latter years of his legendary career.
A young kid named Kyle Larson, years before the NASCAR world got to know him, was the 2010 winner of the race. NARC champions such as D.J. Netto and Kyle Hirst are also past winners.
Last years Chris & Brian Faria Memorial was rained out on its original sprint date, but the series and Thunderbowl Raceway were able to reschedule the event to October 12th, and it was Cole Macedo picking up the victory that night.
Netto, who lives just down the road from Thunderbowl Raceway in Hanford, currently leads the NARC point standings after two completed events aboard the Netto Ag No. 88n. With his win in the season opening event at Stockton Dirt Track, followed by his fourth-place run at the Mini Gold Cup at Silver Dollar Speedway, Netto carries a five-point advantage over Templetons Kaleb Montgomery.
Montgomery, having driven two different cars in two races, turned in top-five finishes each time, including a third-place effort at the Mini Gold Cup.
WHO TO WATCH
Justin Sanders, after a tough month of March, bounced back in a big way at Silver Dollar Speedway, winning the Mini Gold Cup after a last lap battle with Tanner Holmes. With the $10,000 NARC victory at Chico, the reigning NARC King of the West clawed back to sixth in the standings, only 12 points out of the lead and feeling that momentum is back on the side of the Mittry Motorsports No. 2x.
Fremonts Shane Golobic enters the night third in the NARC point standings aboard the Matt Wood Racing No. 17w. While Golobic did not fare well in the Faria Memorial race last October, he was victorious in the NARC race at the Tulare clay oval in May.
Golobic has been competitive at Thunderbowl Raceway, logging many top five and top ten finishes over the years, including a seventh place run just last month with the High Limit Racing series during their spring California swing.
MOORESVILLE, N.C. When suffering a stroke, seconds matter. What better way to emphasize this point than with a race car driver whose performance is measured in seconds?
May is National Stroke Awareness Month, and 19-year-old driver Donovan Strauss has partnered with Sevaro, the leading provider of AI-powered virtual neurology and intelligent analytics, to raise awareness about the importance of rapid stroke identification and treatment, understanding stroke risk factors and prevention.
A full-time driver on the zMAX CARS Tour for Hettinger Racing, Strauss is already quick, and he will use his platform to promote B.E.F.A.S.T. (Balance, Eye gaze, Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty and Time to call 911), the acronym used to swiftly identify and assist an individual experiencing a stroke.
In racing, were always up against the clock. A tenth of a second can be the difference between winning and losing, Strauss said. Seconds are even more critical when it comes to stroke. Ive seen up close how stroke changes lives. Its personal to me. Im proud to team up with Sevaro to help do my part to spread awareness and bring attention to the signs, risks and treatment options surrounding stroke. The more people understand what to look for and how to respond, the better chance we have of saving and improving lives.
Strauss No. 4 Chevrolet for Hettinger Racing will carry the colors of Sevaro and promote its Synapse AI capabilities, a physician-designed platform that brings together everything needed for seamless telemedicine scheduling, imaging, video, Electronic Medical Record (EMR) integration and AI documentation.
At Sevaro, our mission is simple. We believe in using technology to move faster, think smarter and, ultimately, save lives, said Dr. Raj Narula, founder and CEO, Sevaro. Donovan embodies what it means to embrace innovation, and through this partnership, we have a powerful opportunity to bring greater visibility to stroke awareness and the life-saving potential of AI in healthcare. Together, were accelerating the conversation around timely care and prevention.
Stroke is the fifth-leading cause of death in the United States and a leading cause of severe disability. Stroke can happen to anyone at any age. However, 80 percent of strokes are preventable. This is where Sevaro, and its awareness campaign with Strauss, aims to make a difference.
Stroke is a time-sensitive medical emergency, and rapid identification is essential to improving patient outcomes. As the fifth-leading cause of death and a primary cause of long-term disability in the U.S., the need for timely, expert neurological care cannot be overstated, Narula said.
At Sevaro, weve developed AI-driven workflow automation and a robust teleneurology platform that empowers hospitals and providers to deliver faster, more accurate stroke assessments while expanding access to specialized care.
Partnering with Donovan Strauss allows us to amplify this message through a unique platform that blends real-world impact with digital reach. Our goal is to educate the public and support clinicians so we can prevent strokes before they happen.
Strauss is the perfect fit for Sevaro and its AI-powered medical systems. Strauss began his racing career as a 14-year-old via iRacing, a global racing simulation game. Virtual success has translated into tangible racing success, with Strauss winning the 2024 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series South Carolina Rookie-of-the-Year title thanks to a breakout victory Aug. 17 at Florence (S.C.) Motor Speedway.
Even after advancing to the CARS Tour in 2025, the nations premier Late Model touring series, Strauss remains committed to the platform that sparked his racing career. This is his fourth consecutive season with Williams Esports, the gaming arm of Atlassian Williams Racing, the venerable F1 team founded by Sir Frank Williams. Strauss competes for the team in the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series and he helped Williams Esports claim the 2024 team championship.
My racing career started in the virtual world, so the connection with Sevaro and their AI-powered medical technology feels like a natural fit, Strauss said. Ive seen firsthand how powerful technology can be from iRacing to sim sessions and Sevaro is bringing even greater innovation to healthcare. Their ability to use AI to speed up stroke diagnosis and treatment is a game-changer, and Im proud to help showcase their technology.
CONCORD, N.C. Sam Hafertepe Jr. has become one of 360 sprint car racings most accomplished drivers over the last decade.
A record five American Sprint Car Series National Tour championships forefront his résumé, and hes already made more history four races into the 2025 season.
Hafertepe, 39, of Sunnyvale, Texas, captured the 79th checkered flag of his career with the ASCS National Tour last Saturday at Salina Highbanks Speedway, which tied him with fellow five-time Tour champion Jason Johnson for second-most on the all-time feature wins list.
He only trails four-time Tour champion Gary Wright, who amassed 128 National Tour wins during his 20-plus-year career racing ASCS events.
Definitely never thought wed get to where we are today, just never really thought of it that way, Hafertepe said. Im definitely not done. I feel like weve got a long way to go. Im only 39, and to accomplish what weve accomplished already, the skys the limit.
Compared to traditional milestone recognition in sports, 79 is not a number typically commemorated. But No. 79 for Hafertepe and the Hills Racing Team is significant because of the accomplishment theyve now matched with two of the best in ASCS history.
[Johnson] changed the game for 360 racing at that time, Hafertepe said. You had Gary Wrights deal, kind of a low-buck deal, and he got by. He had sponsor help, he had things like that, but he was winning with a lot less. Jason Johnson kinda took all that to the next level and made it really professional.
He made 360 racing grow to where it is today just a more professional look. Jason was able to do that better than anybody that had ever done it.
Though they both had lengthy careers in sprint car racing, Johnson and Hafertepe only sporadically competed with one another. While Hafertepe chased the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series circuit in the late 2000s, Johnson continued his climb up the national 360 ranks with ASCS, winning his first two championships in 2008 and 2010 and notching runner-up finishes in the championship standings in 2006, 2007 and 2009.
When Hafertepe scaled back from the national 410 sprint car ranks at the turn of the 2010s in favor of a more local/regional schedule, he took on the full ASCS National Tour in 2014 and raced alongside Johnson, who was in his final season of 360 competition.
Johnson won his fifth and final championship that season before making the jump to the full-time World of Outlaws roster the following year.
They raced only that one season alongside each other before Johnsons death in 2018, but Hafertepe had already taken so much from Johnson and the legacy he left behind.
It has elevated everything, Hafertepe said. As far as the equipment we have to have, the operations, the amount of crew guys teams have to have. It never was like that, and it just gave it a new approach. I know what we have to have to be successful, and its mainly because weve done it before.
I feel like [Jason] coming along back then when he did and making his operation so much more professional than everybody elses, I feel like that really turned the tables for all of 360 racing.
After Johnsons exit from the 360 ranks, Hafertepe took over, dominating ASCS with 48 National Tour wins and five consecutive championships from 2016 to 2020. Though those years are in the past, the numbers still surprise him.
I never knew where that would be, never thought where we might end up; I never knew any of those things, Hafertepe said. I just knew when we did start running ASCS after coming off the road for several years that my goal was to win. We were ready to win at that time, and we just kinda had to put forth the effort and the time that it took.
When we did that, it paid huge dividends the years that I raced out on the road with the Outlaws. Racing Pennsylvania and Ohio with the All Stars and traveling as much as we did, it really propelled us to be able to come back and race on the ASCS circuit, with the experience that I gained, it propelled us to be able to win all those races.
Like hes previously echoed, Hafertepe still feels like hes got plenty left to go in his career. Now, his attention turns to win No. 80, which will give him sole control of No. 2 on the all-time National Tour wins list. Hell get his first chance at that this Friday and Saturday, April 2526 at RPM Speedway in Crandall, Texas.
The quarter-mile track is located approximately 25 miles Southeast of Dallas and only 20 miles from his home in Sunnyvale, making it his new home track after the closing of Devils Bowl Speedway in 2023. Hafertepe won the last Tour race there in October and will aim for a tiebreaking win No. 80 in the two-day event there next weekend.
The biggest comfort I get is its only 20 miles for us, Hafertepe said. Its unheard of for us to race that close to home, so thats the coolest thing. A lot of friends and family do come out; it makes it easier for them to come out when its only 20 miles away.
Its just a pretty cool place to go to because its so close to home and we have been pretty competitive there every time weve went. I feel like its just another one of those places like, when you race at home, you like to get comfortable at places, and Devils Bowl was that place for us for so many years. We won a lot of races there. And now, hopefully, RPM can be that place for us.
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